After United States President Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours on May 19, he suggested Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations possibly in the Vatican. He concluded, “The Vatican, as represented by the pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!”

In Trump’s mind, the Vatican may be the place where bloody dictators and their victims can shake hands and discuss peace.

However, Trump also reportedly told European heads of state and government in a phone call on Monday that Putin is not prepared to end the war in Ukraine. But instead of renewing sanctions, Trump agreed to proceed with lower-level talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took part in the phone call.

Concerning the Vatican’s potential future role in negotiations, Merz said it would be “the last earthly instance, so to speak, and we can all only hope that at least there it will be possible to bring the conflicting parties together for a constructive discussion.”

Many see the Vatican as the absolute or highest authority on earth. But Trump warming up to the institution is remarkable.

In recent years, the Vatican has made headlines for condemning Trump’s “America first” policy, his migration policies and his exit from the Paris climate accords. From beginning to end, Pope Francis was among Trump’s fiercest and most influential critics. During the 2016 U.S. election campaign, Francis traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to express his sympathy for illegal immigrants and opposition to Trump. The Catholic Church worked with various other organizations to help illegals get to the border. Francis was also instrumental in brokering a deal with the Obama administration and Cuba—something Trump vehemently opposed.

After the death of Pope Francis, Trump went to his funeral—and things started to change.

Millions of people followed the events surrounding Francis’s funeral. But the image that captured the world’s attention wasn’t of a head of state bidding farewell to a controversial pope; it was of Trump seated across from Zelenskyy.

Commenting on the meeting, former German politician Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg mused: “Two chairs. In the Baptistry Chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica. They looked lost against the backdrop of the maximum authority of Catholicism. And on their seats, two powerful people shrank to their earthly size. Or to what life had made of them.”

Compared to the power of the Vatican, the world’s most powerful rulers start to appear insignificant.

The prestige of the Vatican rose even more in Trump’s mind after the election of the first American pope.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named pope,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement, and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo xiv. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Never mind Prevost’s previous verbal attacks against Trump’s migration policies and other ideological differences.

The age-old institution is certain to love the attention. The Vatican has always sought to be a guiding force over the rulers of this world. For centuries it succeeded in making and unmaking kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. But recently it has lost its grip on power, politics and people.

The Catholic Church will use every opportunity to restore its old prestige. However, those who believe this will be good for our world should beware what history and Bible prophecy teaches, as our free book The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy explains.

The warning from Bible prophecy is especially stark. As The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy explains, Revelation 17 reveals that empire’s history and its future. Through the symbolic image of a woman riding a beast, the chapter teaches that this church will control the final resurrection of a vicious empire.

Verse 4 describes the church’s international presence, prestige and power: “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls ….”

This “woman” is pictured in a relationship with the “kings of the earth.” Verse 2 reveals that the “inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

“This is how God characterizes this church that mixes with politics and guides an empire. We are warning the world, reminding them of history and of facts. But you talk about facts, and this empire just acts drunk!” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry (Royal Vision, November-December 2021).

The world’s perception of this church is delusional. How else can you explain why an institution that has caused religious wars, pogroms, inquisitions and crusades is praised and worshiped today? Are we willing to heed God’s Word, or do we trust our own flawed perception?